On the same day, this Wednesday, Simon departed from Rome in the morning and flew to Rivni.
Nancy, who initially threatened to see the girl Simon raised in Ukraine, no longer accompanied her. After four consecutive days of traveling from Amsterdam to Helsinki, from Helsinki to St. Petersburg, and then from St. Petersburg to Rome, the small female executive was both fulfilled and exhausted.
So I decided to stay in Rome because it was too cold in Ukraine, and I also planned to travel around with Sofia, who had always had a good personal relationship with me.
The reason is very valid.
However, when Simon made a joke and pretended to take Nancy to Rivni by force, the small female executive finally begged for mercy because she couldn't bear it anymore. In fact, Simon is not that cruel, but a certain little woman's appetite is too small.
At ten o'clock in the morning, when he arrived in the snow-covered Rivni from Rome, which has the most authentic Mediterranean climate, Simon did not summon a group of women to mess around like the little female executive teased, but immediately threw himself into work.
In fact, this journey is just work.
The first stop was Amsterdam, where I personally had some contact with Philips, the parent company of PolyGram, and pushed both parties to officially start acquisition negotiations.
Of course, EMI, who was a smoke bomb on the other side, did not give up either.
The second stop in Helsinki was, of course, Nokia.
The global mobile communications industry is developing rapidly. It is no wonder that Simon does not pay attention to Nokia. He spent a day and a half discussing with Jorma Ollila and Nokia executives all aspects of the company's development layout in the next year.
The third stop was St. Petersburg, only staying for one night.
It was mainly a low-key small cocktail party. Yeltsin once again sent his daughter to attend, as well as Mikhail Friedman, the main spokesperson of the Westeros system in Russia. But I haven’t seen anyone who has been in Moscow officialdom for a year. A short middle-aged man who has been rising steadily.
Yeltsin's daughter Tatiana also specifically mentioned that the other party happened to be sent to the Far East, and her tone was still somewhat tentative.
Simon didn't deliberately pretend to forget someone's existence, but he also reacted indifferently.
In fact, he just looked on with cold eyes.
If Yeltsin puts someone in power like he did in the original time and space, the other party will definitely remember who pushed him to take the crucial step.
If history changes and someone else takes control of Russia, with the current state of oligarchs in the country and the lack of a strong leader to reverse the situation, Russia is likely to collapse like Ukraine once did. As the super capital oligarch at the top of the world's pyramid, this is really the case. Let's just say that Russia's game of chess is still beneficial to Simon.
The fourth stop was in Rome. On the one hand, we wanted to see the construction progress of Universal Studios Rome in person. On the other hand, we also arranged various social contacts to maintain our connections in the Italian political, business, cultural and entertainment circles.
Especially the latter.
Because Italy can be said to be the foundation of the Westeros system in the layout of the fashion industry, Melisandre's aircraft carrier battle group layout, the core 'aircraft carrier' of bags and apparel is Gucci, and the core 'aircraft carrier' of jewelry and watches is 'Bulgari' , both originated in Italy.
The last stop is Rivni.
Rivni City West Airport.
Vasily Borisov, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Western Combat Command headquartered in Rivni, stood among the people receiving the plane. He looked at a young man walking down the gangway, and then glanced at a group of Rivnos around him. Helping the core, I feel sad and depressed.
If it were still the Soviet period, the current scene would never have happened.
However, what makes people feel almost magical is that a group of elites at the top of the former Soviet Union's pyramid came to greet an American under 30 years old with humility and respect. Not only that, in recent days, the whole city behind them has been under martial law to welcome someone, which is exactly the kind of treatment that can only be received when welcoming heads of some major countries.
However, considering that the other party has a terrifying net worth equivalent to dozens of the current Ukrainian economy, Vasily Borisov has to admit that Simon Westeros does deserve this treatment. Even for the city beneath his feet, it is not an exaggeration to say that Simon Westeros is the lord of the city.
In just a few years, Rivni has grown from a small town on the northwest border of Ukraine to a major town in Eastern Europe with a population of one million, all thanks to the efforts of the other party.
Vasily Borisov even quietly conducted a deduction in private. If... Under certain circumstances, without considering any other consequences, the Western Combat Command he is responsible for wants to implement a forced military takeover of Rivni and swallow this bomb. Attractive fruit, how feasible is it
The answer is very uncertain.
The total size of the army controlled by the Western Combat Command is currently less than 60,000. As for combat strength, the 60,000 army, which has been subject to budget cuts and has not been replaced for many years, is about the same as the disgraced Russian army in Chechnya. It can almost He said he didn't have much combat power.
Let’s look at the Rivne Gang again. We don’t say how far the other party has expanded in private. It’s just that according to public data, there are 5,000 private soldiers who have cutting-edge American equipment and have been taken to Africa and Yugoslavia in turns and have been baptized in actual combat. That’s 60,000 people here. It may not be a hard nut that can be chewed off.
What's more, Borisov only dares to think about the so-called military takeover.
Because he wants a military takeover, at most the Kiev authorities are behind him. As for the Rivno Gang, even if we don't talk about the powerful Westeros system, there is another terrifying existence of the United States government.
Therefore, if he really does that, no matter whether he succeeds or fails, he will not end well.
Vasily Borisov missed the powerful Soviet era for the last time. Seeing Simon Westeros approaching, he quickly showed a gentler smile and shook hands with him: "Simon, I'm glad you came here again. Fni.”
Now that you've made a decision, it's best not to second-guess it. To be able to climb to his current position, Borisov does not lack this determination.
Simon also smiled and shook hands with Borisov, and obviously stayed in front of him for a moment longer, chatting about some seemingly irrelevant trivial matters. This small detail made Borisov feel inexplicably much more comfortable.
Simon Westeros still thinks highly of him.
With such greetings, everyone left the airport together in a grand manner.
In addition to the three cars belonging to Simon, there are also Rivne Governor Andrei Smirnov, Oldek Company head Sergei Komorov, UMFS President Klim Derevyanko, etc. The core members of the Rovno Gang, this was a list drawn up personally by Celia Miller who came in advance to make arrangements as usual, and even the lower-class characters were not qualified to connect to the machine.
In one of the three black Mercedes-Benz cars that were clearing the way for the police car in front of the motorcade, Simon asked Celia Miller who was next to him after the motorcade left the airport: "Have you talked specifically with Borisov?"
Since Vasily Borisov appeared here today, it obviously means that the other party wants to completely surrender to the Rivne Gang and no longer have the previous cooperative relationship.
Of course Simon would not refuse to accept the loyalty of the theater commander who controlled the military affairs of several large border states in northwest Ukraine, and he must also pay enough attention and courtesy, because this was equivalent to indirectly controlling the military power of an area.
The politics, economy and military are all in his hands. No one believes Simon if he is not the master of this area.
Celia shook her head: "He wants to talk to you in person."
"Then after the luncheon," Simon was not surprised and asked again: "Tell me again, what is the situation here in Borisov?"
Celia said: "It is still because of the economic crisis. From last year to now, Ukraine's already unstable hryvnia has devalued by more than 30% again. The authorities are financially tight and can only reduce the budget again. Borisov controls The Western Combat Command, boss, you should also understand that in Kiev, compared to the south and east, it is the least important one. Therefore, in another disarmament resolution of the Kuchma government, the Western Combat Command was cut the most. Cruel, not only has the budget been reduced by 20% this year, but it is also required to reduce the current 57,000 people to less than 40,000. Borisov is completely unable to survive."
The Asian financial turmoil that broke out last year seems to have died down on the surface, but in fact the aftermath has been fermenting and spreading around the world. Countless countries and even countless companies around the world have tightened financial expenditures, which has not only led to a significant reduction in funds flowing to Eastern Europe, which is in urgent need of reconstruction, but has even caused reverse outflows. A typical example is Soros withdrawing large sums of funds from Russia. As a result, various Eastern European countries have The country is once again in trouble.
Ukraine had already experienced an economic collapse in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It had just eased in the past two years. It also carried out currency reforms after Kuchma came to power. It was originally developing in a good direction.
Unfortunately, a storm rocked it once again.
Simon knows very well that for Russia, Ukraine and other Eastern European countries, 1998 was the lowest point since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
On the other hand, in this depressed Eastern Europe, the city of Rivni, which continues to develop rapidly, and even the Rivne gang based on this city, are undoubtedly an anomaly.
Vasily Borisov, who was in the game and saw this clearly, probably understood the outcome of Ukraine. This time he decisively chose to completely surrender to the Rivne Gang. This was undoubtedly the best thing for him. result.
After Simon heard what Celia said, he was quietly calculating when the woman next to him continued: "Simon, Borisov said that he can join the Progressive Alliance as a statement."
Simon immediately shook his head: "No, doing this may cause the Kiev authorities to rebound."
"I think so too," Celia smiled and nodded: "However, the boss actually doesn't have to worry too much. Kiev is too busy right now to take care of us."
"Others can't take it into consideration, but we still have to have the proper attitude," Simon said: "We can't let the Kiev authorities lose face too much."
Celia nodded again and continued: "Speaking of Kiev, Pinchuk will come over tomorrow. I have already arranged it in the boss's schedule."
"Um."
"Also, hey, it's still a matter of money. In 1994, Ukraine promised to dismantle its nuclear weapons. In the agreement, the federation promised to provide US$175 million in special funds and US$155 million in economic assistance. Boss, do you still remember?"
"What's wrong?"
"Now Ukraine's nuclear weapons have been dismantled, and the special funds of 175 million U.S. dollars have been fully paid. However, Washington has only given 10 million U.S. dollars of economic aid of 155 million U.S. dollars until now. Kiev has contacted me and hopes that I can help push it. , to deliver follow-up assistance.”
Simon almost laughed: "Do you think Washington is still planning to honor it?"
Celia shook her head: "There's nothing I can do anyway."
Simon said no more and could only lament that Washington is really dark. If it were him, he would definitely not waste the money he should give Ukraine after it abolishes its martial arts. US$155 million is really not much.
However, from the perspective of Washington, US$155 million is still money.
Of course I won't give it if I can.
Moreover, Ukraine has no solution at all. One side is collecting debts, and the other side is dragging it out.
If you can, hit me with a nuclear bomb.
Once again feeling sorry for the Kiev authorities, Simon had no intention of helping.
With the influence of the Westeros system, if Simon comes forward in person, he can help Kiev get the money back. However, it is completely unnecessary because it is a thankless effort.
Of course, it will definitely win the favor of the Kiev authorities. However, Simon does not need much goodwill from the Kiev authorities now.
It is impossible for a country in such a mess to turn against Simon now. It is unlikely that a dignified military commander will be loyal to him.
Again.
In the final analysis, the root of social problems are economic problems.
Simon is exactly the one who has a very strong economic voice at the moment.
Celia talked about this incident, and then talked about other things. When she was about to arrive at the manor on the bank of Basf Lake in the south of the city, she mentioned another thing: "Boss, Tymoshenko came here quietly again yesterday."
Simon frowned slightly: "How did she know I was coming?"
"It's not difficult to guess," Celia said: "Recently, in order to welcome the boss, Rivni has put the whole city on alert. She must have let people go here. She is such a smart woman, so of course she can guess it."
In order to ensure the safety of Simon's trip to Rivni, the Rovno gang did put up a lot of trouble.
Celia told Simon in advance.
Simon has been relatively restrained in the past, but he does not object this time, because this is equivalent to a declaration that this land has the surname Westeros.
After four consecutive years of planning, Simon determined that the Westeros system's control over the Rivne State has reached a level that does not require too much cover-up, so it is time for the people in this area to gradually get used to it.
Thinking this, Simon asked again: "What's wrong with her?"
"Her company is having a hard time, she just wants money, that's all."
When Simon heard what Celia said, he also felt that he had said nonsense. Considering the current state of Ukraine and the bleak situation of a woman who has completely lost her aura as a natural gas queen and is being suppressed continuously, the other party must have come because she can no longer support her. .
With this in mind, Simon ordered Celia: "Lock her up and starve her for two days, then clean her up. I'll see if I have time."